46 Sport Aviation May 2015 PHOTOGRAPHY by TYSON RININGER POETRY and POWER
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46 Sport Aviation May 2015 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON RININGER POETRY AND POWER TWO STORIED AIR SHOW PLANES, ONE COMMON CONNECTION BY BETH E. STANTON www.eaa.org 47 hat do a from-the-ground-up aircraft improvements and custom builds, so restoration of a celebrated air he founded Dell Aero Speed specialty air- show duo’s airplane and a craft service. jet-powered Waco built from scratch have in common? THE FRENCH CONNECTION CAP 10B Pilot, aircraft technician, and For a plane to fly well, it must be beautiful. builder Dell Coller. Since —Marcel Dassault grade school, Dell’s goal has The Mudry CAP 10 is one of the most been to build airplanes. “I successful two-seat training aerobatic air- would get ahold of the Sport Aviation magazine and immediately flip craft in the world. Avions Mudry, located in to the pages showing members’ newly completed aircraft.” His Bernay, France, began manufacturing the Wgrandfather was a World War II Spitfire pilot and his father a pilot airplane in 1970, and it’s been flown by two and air traffic controller. When Dell was 16, he bought a Cessna 150 generations of aerobatic champions. Daniel with some friends and learned to fly. He joined the Air National Héligoin and Montaine Mallet met while Guard, was crew chief on a C-130 Hercules, and went on to become a working for Avions Mudry. Daniel, a former successful business jet pilot. While working full time, he built and French air force fighter pilot and French restored several aircraft. He discovered that his passion lay in build- national aerobatic champion, and Montaine, ing and flying aerobatic airplanes. He built a One Design aerobatic an aeronautical engineer, were friends at airplane and found himself doing more of this type of work. Dell first but eventually became partners in decided to forge a new career and focus his energy and skills on career and marriage. In 1973, they came to 48 Sport Aviation May 2016 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON RININGER the United States to promote and sell the multiple airplanes over the span of their have the opportunity to restore one of the CAP 10. They operated aerobatic flight career. They sometimes kept airplanes on actual French Connection airplanes made the schools in New York and Florida, instructing both U.S. coasts to minimize cross-country project even more special.—Dell Coller and demonstrating in the CAP 10. Daniel ferrying during the air show season. Olivier The CAP 10 came to Dell’s shop in Boise, flew air shows while Montaine taught aero- saw an airplane in the book with the French Idaho, in November of 2014 to undergo a com- batics and flew in IAC competitions. Daniel’s Connection lettering and tail number plete restoration. Since the airplane had been passion was formation aerobatics. He N780S, the same as Tom and Kelly’s air- sitting for a number of years, it was unknown trained Montaine as lead pilot, and in 1973 plane. When Tom discovered the history of what it was going to look like once it was the duo flew their first of countless air the airplane he decided to investigate fur- opened up. It turned out that everything was shows spanning almost 30 years. ther. He learned Gene Soucy also previously in pretty good shape. The scope of the work The acclaimed husband and wife team owned the airplane. The couple had a slick included complete inspection, fabric, paint, became known as the French Connection. paint job picked out, but they scratched that new wiring, and updated instrument panel. Their signature air show routine was flown plan and decided that it absolutely had to Dell said, “There wasn’t a part of the airplane in astonishingly tight formation, canopy to stay in the French Connection configuration. that we didn’t touch. We anticipated the canopy. As their aerial ballet evolved, they Dell explained that people get confused engine would be fine since it was not high added musical choreography, poetry narra- sometimes. “They say, ‘Both those airplanes time. In the course of inspecting it we found tion, wingtip smoke, and specialty were lost; this can’t be one of the actual some internal corrosion, so we decided to maneuvers like the Double Heart, Formation ones,’ but it is in fact one of the several CAP inspect and replace as necessary. We removed Snap Roll, and the Mirror Image. The couple 10 airplanes they flew for a period of time,” the engine and sent it to a shop. It wasn’t a full performed all over the world and received he said. “You can see in a number of videos, overhaul, but they replaced a number of parts the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship, the N780S, serial No. 87, flying in the air shows.” on the engine due to corrosion.” Rolly Cole Memorial Award, and the Art Some minor repairs were made to the Scholl Showmanship Award. BRINGING IT BACK wood structure. The canopy and windscreen I have always had an admiration for French did not need to be replaced, but Dell said, YES, IT’S ONE OF THEIR AIRPLANES aviation, their aircraft designs in particular. “We spent a lot of time sanding and buffing to The world knew Daniel Héligoin and This style is quite evident in the CAP 10. To get 30 years of scratches out!” The original Montaine Mallet as the French Connection. When they died, the world lost two of its more interesting characters and most outstanding pilots.—Budd Davisson The aviation community was devastated when Daniel and Montaine perished in a training accident in May 2000. Tom Poberezny described their contributions to aviation. “They touched so many people through the years with their warmth and their willingness to share the world of flight. They were professionals and entertainers of the highest degree, who had marked their 25th year of performing at EAA AirVenture in 1999. They were extremely proud of that fact, and we are proud to have been associ- ated with them for these many years.” Tom Joyce and his girlfriend, Kelly Root, are based at KILG, New Castle Airport in Delaware, where they are building a Pitts Model 12. Since they had never flown a tail- wheel or aerobatic airplane, they decided to find a airplane to prepare them for flying a Pitts. They looked at several different options and came across a 1978 CAP 10B and purchased it. Olivier Langeard, a hangar neighbor originally from France, recognized Tom and Kelly’s airplane in the book Flight Fantastic: The Illustrated History of Upper left: Hartzell spinner and R-985 of the Jet Waco. Upper right: CAP 10B spinner and hand-lettered serial number. Aerobatics. The French Connection used Bottom: CAP 10B wingtip light. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG VANDER KOLK AND DENNIS BIELA www.eaa.org 49 50 Sport Aviation May 2016 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON RININGER JET WACO DIMENSIONS Length 26 feet 6 inches Wingspan 30 feet 3 inches Wing area 227 feet WEIGHTS AND LOADING Gross weight (normal flight) 4,000 pounds Gross weight (aerobatic flight) 4,000 pounds Empty weight 2,959 pounds Useful load (normal flight) 1,041 pounds Useful load (aerobatic flight) 1,041 pounds Wing loading 17.62 pounds PERFORMANCE Maximum speed 250 mph Rate of climb 10,000 fpm (approx. 100 mph vertical trajectory) Stall speed (clean) 75 mph ENGINE R-985 Fuel consumption aerobatic flight 40 gph CJ610 Fuel consumption aerobatic flight 280 gph www.eaa.org 51 initial build of the Taperwing components. From these, Eddie created a 3-D model of the airplane, and the real engineering task began. “John and I had many discussions on the expectations of the final product: appearance, performance, handling, structural require- ments, and systems. John wanted the flavor of the Waco Taperwing but with modern pizazz.” During the three-view development, a preliminary weight and balance study was needed. The basic aerodynamic data of the Jet Waco needed to be defined: things like aerodynamic centers of the wing cell, hori- zontal tail, and vertical tail, jet thrust vector. “A lot of balls thrown up in the air at one time, and all those balls had to land in the right places,” Eddie said. When it was determined that the project could be successful, John made the purchase and the serious analysis and design work began. Eddie and Dell worked closely together on the project. Eddie’s role was the structural design, while Dell led the systems aspect of the project. In 2013, the aircraft began to come together in Buffalo, Minnesota. The 3-D model was used to fixed-pitch propeller and fuel tanks were different air shows, and everybody who sees refine locations of mass items such as 100LL solid. The CAP 10 was outfitted with all new the airplane says, ‘Oh yes, I remember them!’ tanks, Jet A tanks, smoke tanks, oil tanks, avionics including ADS-B compliance, GPS People like Patty Wagstaff are so grateful to batteries, plumbing, instrumentation, elec- navigation, and Electronics International have a reminder of the team out there. I’m so tronics, pilot, the jet engine, and tail pipe CGR-30 engine monitor. glad we were able to restore it.” combination so that weight and balance Dell’s favorite part of the restoration was requirements were met. The placement of the day the hand lettering went on the air- THE SCREAMIN’ SASQUATCH, JACK LINK’S JET WACO the CJ610 turbine jet engine was configured plane. “After the French Connection were no Attaching a Learjet engine to the bottom of a so that it could be removed without longer flying this airplane, their logos were 1930s biplane is something you normally only adversely affecting weight and balance.